Our Man in Paris, Ric Erickson, editor of MetropoleParis, last year sent us a brief report, with a photo, of the nuit blanche over there. It's a bit of a Paris tradition
- one night each year when everyone gives up sleep in favor of discussion or partying - a "white night." Museums, libraries,
monuments, places of worship, tourist sites, cinemas, parks and gardens, hospitals, swimming pools and universities in Paris
stay open all night to the public for "a cultural night of discovery."

It's that time again. Here's Ric's report.

Go
out in the dark and try to shoot the photos without knowing if there will be anything to haul out of the black. The magic
of digital says there will nearly always be something there. It may not be sharp, it may be impossible to balance the
colors, and if it's about the Nuit Blanche even if there's something there it might be hard to figure out what it is.
To hell, it's a free show!

Mainly,
Parisians are out on the town, walking around by the tens of thousands, many carrying umbrellas tonight. This year it's mostly
in east Paris - on Montmartre, in the Marais, up around Republique and up in Belleville. There's a small loop over to the
Monde Arabe in the 5th and east to the Ultra Grande Bibliothèque, and all of it is linked by free buses running
around in Paris and running out to the 'burbs to take the tired home. All of it keeps up until dawn.

And
tomorrow, under likely gray skies, the 'Arc' at Longchamp - the race of the year. The 'grape harvest' is on Montmartre this
weekend or next, and next weekend is the 50th anniversary of the Citroën DS - for which 1600 will tour down the
Champs Elysées, one to be driven by a Café Metropole Club member. The fun never stops.